Customer Reviews
Very Satisfied 
2008-10-04
I am very satisfied and happy with my Actiontec Adapter and the price was very right...the only similar product available was at Radio Shack and the cost would have been almost 5-6 times more...Thank you, Amazon!
Not Perfect, But It Is the Only Game in Town. 
2008-10-02
After three weeks of frustration in getting internet to the upper floor in my home, this is the only thing that worked. Believe me, I consulted with numerous sales people, the Geek Squad, and technicians from Netgear, D-Link, and others. I tried everything that was available at Fry's, Best Buy, and Office Max.
Here is my report:
1. Wireless internet only works if everything is in one room. Despite the claims and marketing hype, the maximum area of coverage is 90 feet with a Netgear RangeMax WPN824EXT. The $60 unit is basically a wireless router with seven internal antennas. The wireless signals have a tough time penetrating through walls and floors especially if they are filled with insulation. In my house, the waves had to go 60 feet and through two walls and a floor - all were insulated. I was able to connect to the internet for 30 seconds.
The $100 D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router, the best in the market according to publications, lasted longer - I had a two minute connection. In all these devices, the strength decayed to 25% or lower - too weak to work.
2. Ethernet cable is the only guarantee for successful internet connection. Unfortunately, this is not an option. Stringing cable on the ceiling, under the carpet, and throughout the house creates a mess and much work.
3. The best option is to buy an ActionTec Mega Plug 85 Mbps. Ethernet Adapter Kit. The price range is $75-$100. The cheapest is at Amazon.com, there was a $20 rebate for September, 2008. The package converts the house's electrical wires to ethernet cable. It comes with two electrical plug-in devices. One connects to the modem-router. The other can be located anywhere in the house. Plug it into an electrical outlet and connect a short ethernet cable to it and the other end to another computer's ethernet port. The signal is not 100%. The distance and wire type decreases the signal to 75%, but it is adequate. The internet is accessible but noticeably slower.
If a wireless signal is still desired, connect the ethernet cable to a second wireless router or the Netgear RangeMax WPN824EXT. The device may be adequate for the room. However there is no guarantee that any computer outside that room will receive the wireless signal. This setup requires two purchases and raises the total price to $200.
4. People may be tempted to buy a Netgear MGXB102 Powerline Wireless Range Extender for $150. The kit combines an ActionTec Mega Plug setup with a wireless broadcasting unit on the extreme end. This is a $50 savings.
Unfortunately, this is deceptive. The arrangement requires a PCI wireless reception card or a USB 2.0 antenna to be plugged into the computer. This will cost an additional $50, so there is no savings whatsoever.
The kit does work and the setup is the easiest. Unfortunately, the two plug-in devices get very hot because there are no fans to vacate the heat generated. According to consumer evaluations, they burn out after 12-14 months - just after the one-year warranty ends. Luckily, mine lasted for 1.5 hours before dying. So, I was able to get a refund.
In the end, the ActionTec product may not be perfect, but it is the one that works. The only other alternative is to clutter your house with ugly ethernet cable under the carpet and on the ceiling.
I would have awarded this product with five stars if not for three problems:
1. There was noticeable a speed decrease.
2. The two short ethernet cables that were provided in the kit were so short that they were useless.
3. The published installation instructions were not adequate. It stopped with installing the software. Missing were printed directions to configure the advanced setup in the configuration utility:
....a. You need to type in a password and the device IDs, the numbers are found on each of the plug-in units.
....b. Reset the software firewall program to recognize the additional internet connection.
....c. Reboot the computer.
If the above were not done, the setup will not work. Believe it or not, the ActionTec technicians from India were not aware of this procedure. They could not get the equipment working, so I had to experiment - 1.5 hours of "trial and error." For my time, aggravation, and the problems mentioned above, the product gets a 4-star rating.
Works great 2008-10-01
This one worked right out of the box. All I had to do was plug it into the outlet and voila I had ethernet connection between the devices. I wish all gadgets were this easy to work with.
Worked out of the box. 2008-09-24
I purchased this item after my wireless connection for my 360 starting becoming inconsistent--sometimes it would drop into red for some unknown reason. My computer and router are in our den and the xbox 360 is in the living room on the other side of the house. Our home was built in 1964, but we did have the our electrical box replaced this summer as a result of a kitchen renovation. In any event, I plugged in the Actiontec 85 in an outlet near the router and the other Actiontec 85 near my xbox 360 and attached each respectively with the Cat 5 cable provided. It worked immediately, and I get a solid connection. It took me all of 10-15 minutes. I am very happy and satisfied with the product.
Works like a charm connecting Vonage device to network!! 2008-09-19
This product made it a breeze to connect my Vonage telephone adapter to the cable modem located two floors below my office area. I mean it was a no-brainer! And my phone reception is excellent with the 85 Mbps kit - no need for the 200Mbps kit. I am very pleased! Oh happy day!!
Terrific with the Actiontec modem/router 2008-09-12
The Actiontec MegaPlug allows you to easily extend the range of your wired network to nearly any location in your home. It does this by routing your network traffic over the electrical power lines inside your walls! Simply plug in one ethernet adapter into any 2- or 3-prong outlet, that is nearby to your router or wireless gateway, then plug the other adapter into another outlet anywhere else in your home. It's really that simple, and a whole lot easier than the convential method of running cables all over your house.
Solved my home network problems 2008-08-31
Too many walls and/or too much distance between router and laptop meant my wireless connection was always slow and unreliable. Tried upgrading to 805.11N but in my case to no avail. Was almost ready to run a dedicated cable, and then I stumbled on this quick and easy solution. Just plug the two devices in and you're connected regardless of distance, with no need to install anything on the computer. This does mean having to move the laptop-connected device anytime I want to move the laptop itself, but reconnect takes only seconds, and the laptop is normally plugged into power anyway. Overall, very satisfied.
Works as advertised. 2008-08-29
The price is right, and it works as easily as advertised. What more could you ask for?
Awesome 2008-08-22
These units rock. I needed to attach my DVR to my home network and this is, by far, the easiest way. I just plugged them in and I was on my network.
Works but not compatible with Tivo Series 2 single tuners 
2008-08-15
This works (I tried it out with a laptop) but be aware that this does not work with the older Series 2 single tuner Tivos. I have 2 (1 original TiVo and the 2nd a HUMAX) and neither one would recognize the actiontec. I guess my TiVos are just too old.
